He thanked her for whatever her family had to spare.
He never imagined what those meals were costing her.
Walter tried giving her money, but
Sarah always refused.
Then one evening, he noticed something strange.
As Walter later told me, Sarah had brought him chicken and potatoes.
But when he asked whether she’d eaten, she smiled.
“I’m not hungry tonight.”
A few days later, her oldest daughter came over with another container of food.
“Has your mother eaten?” Walter asked.
The girl shook her head.
“Mom says she’s not hungry again. She says we need the food because we’re still growing.”
I looked at the judge.
“Those weren’t leftovers. Sarah had been giving Walter her\
own dinner.”
I wiped my eyes.
“When he found out, he couldn’t sleep.”
Walter’s chin trembled.
“She was feeding me with food she couldn’t afford to eat herself.”
